Emperor Norton and Geek Culture

Every few weeks or so, it seems, a new little essay about Emperor Norton appears online.

For those who already know the story, these essays serve mostly to re-sort or give new emphases to familiar details. But they also are introducing the story to people who have never heard it.

The fact that there seems to be a continuing stream of folk who feel compelled to write — and who write lovingly and well — about Emperor Norton is a testament to the Emperor's ongoing power to fascinate and to inspire.